Chapter 18: Shanks Arrives with Hawkeye
Deep into the night, the Restaurant settled into a comfortable hush. The ambient noise of the city outside had faded, leaving only the soft hum of the refrigerator and the occasional turning of a page.
Ren sat quietly behind the counter, reading a magazine about fishing lures.
Lucifer, who had been scrolling on her phone (and secretly checking reviews of the light novel they discussed), looked up at Ren. She stretched her arms, a very un-queenly yawn escaping her lips.
"I'm going up to rest!" she announced, hopping off the stool. "Being human-ish is exhausting."
Ren nodded without looking up. "Mm. Goodnight. Don't let the bedbugs bite."
"We don't have bedbugs in Hell, Ren. Only soul-eating mites."
"Goodnight."
Lucifer seemed to have something urgent on her mind. She almost ran up the stairs, her footsteps rapid and light, which surprised Ren. Usually, she moved with a deliberate, regal slowness. But he didn't say anything, just assuming the Queen of Hell was particularly energetic tonight—or perhaps plotting something mischievous.
"Shopkeeper…" a soft voice called out from the window seat. "I'd like a refill..."
Ren looked up. The young woman, Utaha Kasumigaoka, was still there. Her face was slightly flushed from the alcohol, her glasses reflecting the warm light. She looked less like a cynical author and more like a lost girl.
Ren nodded, standing up. "I can see it's having some effect. This time, just half a cup. Otherwise, you might really pass out here, and I don't have enough guest rooms left~"
"Okay..." she murmured, tracing the rim of her empty cup.
When Ren returned with the small pitcher, he saw that the young woman was no longer in her seat. Just as he was wondering if she had gone to the restroom, he sensed movement behind him.
He turned around. She was standing right there, leaning against the counter.
Ren paused, then placed the wine on the counter between them.
"Anything else you need?"
The young woman looked at Ren for a long time. Her dark red eyes searched his face, looking for... something. Validation? Inspiration? Or just a connection?
Then she smiled, a sad, self-deprecating curve of her lips. "Yes... I need you to chat with me... if you aren't too busy saving lost souls."
Ren leaned back, crossing his arms. "I can. What do you want to talk about? The weather? Politics? Or why you look like you're carrying the world on your shoulders?"
"Thank you.... Shopkeeper, what's your name?"
Ren nodded politely. "Ren."
The young woman smiled, then pointed to herself with a slender finger. "Guess my name?"
This question truly stumped Ren. Why ask him her name? He didn't know this young woman personally, only by reputation through the crossover knowledge he possessed. But seeing the seriousness in her eyes—the desperate need to be known—Ren decided to play along.
He smiled and shook his head. "It feels like a very impressive name, belonging to someone with a lot of stories. I probably can't guess it~"
The young woman chuckled softly, the sound like wind chimes. "Shopkeeper... My name is Kasumigaoka Utaha..."
Just as Ren was about to nod in acknowledgment, he heard the young woman continue, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Also known as... Utako Kasumi."
Ren paused. He frowned theatrically, tapping his chin. "Utako Kasumi... wait."
He looked at her with feigned surprise. "Are you the author of that light novel? The one called 'Love Metronome'?"
Utaha flinched. She looked down, hiding her eyes behind her bangs. "Mm... It's terrible, isn't it? I know... Even your friend said the grammar was bad."
Ren gently shook his head. He walked around the counter and sat on the stool opposite the young woman, bringing himself to her eye level.
He said with a very serious expression, "No. It's a very promising work. Although the plot currently drags a bit in the second arc... the emotions are real. You should continue it."
Kasumigaoka Utaha was silent for a long time. She stared at her reflection in the wine.
Finally, she softly said, "Maybe you're right. But I can't write anymore. My mind is blank... The editor says sales are dropping. The comments say it's boring. I... I think I've lost the metronome."
"That's good..."
"Eh?" Utaha looked up, confused.
Ren smiled, his eyes kind. "That's right. That's good. A blank slate means you can abandon old ideas and re-organize. This way, you can write something completely new according to your own thoughts, not what the editors or the comments want. This is a very good start. A reboot."
Kasumigaoka Utaha was startled. Her eyes lit up slightly.
Ren continued, "Your book is still waiting for you to save it... Utako Kasumi-sensei~ The characters are stuck in limbo until you type the next word."
"Hmm... thank you... but my mind is still completely blank. After thinking about the problems you and that lady brought up—the pacing, the clichés—I suddenly don't know how to write anymore... It feels like walking into a wall."
Ren took out his phone. He unlocked it and navigated to the bookmark of her novel. He casually opened a small chapter from a random volume—Volume 2, Chapter 4.
He found a passage, pointed to it, and smiled. "Look here. The protagonist describes the sunset for three paragraphs. It's beautiful, but it stops the story. If the writing here wasn't so verbose, but instead conveyed the character's psychological changes through the description of the sunset—how the light makes him feel lonely, for example—it would be much better. Show, don't just tell."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes lit up. She leaned in, their heads close together over the small screen.
Psychological projection... she thought. How had I not thought of that? It would indeed be much better than her original flowery prose.
Ren continued to explain to her, scrolling through paragraphs, pointing out where dialogue could be sharper, where scenes could be cut.
The food on the table had already grown cold. The wine remained untouched.
A rough outline gradually formed in Kasumigaoka Utaha's mind. The fog was lifting. She turned her head to look at Ren, who was explaining how to improve with a gentle smile, occasionally affirming certain passages as "brilliant" or "heartwarming."
She found herself getting lost in his voice, his insights. He understood her story better than her editor. Better than her.
"That's pretty much it. This way, the plot won't be so gut-wrenching for the wrong reasons... Hmm? Is there something on my face?"
Not long after Ren finished speaking, he saw Kasumigaoka Utaha staring blankly at him, her cheeks dusted pink. This made Ren a little unsure of the situation.
"Nothing," she said quickly, looking away. "Thank you..."
"I just didn't want to see this work disappear from people's sight, that's all. It seems like there's nothing too major left to fix. Do you need me to reheat the beef for you?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her head. She stood up, smoothing her skirt.
"No need, I'm already full. Full of ideas. Thank you for the meal... Please bring the bill. Oh, and give me a pot of Osmanthus wine to go. I'll need it for the all-nighter I'm about to pull."
Hearing Kasumigaoka Utaha's words, Ren nodded and returned to the kitchen.
After paying the bill, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't leave immediately. Instead, she paused at the door, her hand on the handle.
She turned back and softly asked, "Shopkeeper Ren... is this Restaurant open every night?"
"Yes. Except when the world ends."
"The food was delicious. And the critique was... invaluable. I'll be back again. Goodbye."
"Welcome back next time~ Good luck, Sensei."
Watching Kasumigaoka Utaha's departing back, Ren smiled and shook his head. When that book updates again, it will surely be a bestseller, won't it? I'm really looking forward to it...
Ren cleaned the counter, humming a tune. Just as he was about to sit down and continue reading about fishing lures, he heard his phone ring.
Bzzt. Bzzt.
Ren picked up his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and then was slightly stunned.
It was a number he hadn't seen in a while.
He swiped to answer. "You actually called me on your own. Is something wrong? If it's about a fight, don't even bother~ I'm retired."
On the other end of the phone, a manic, energetic voice laughed.
"Hahahaha! You actually said that! 'Retired'! Hahahahaha! My side hurts from laughing! You? Retired? Don't make me laugh!"
It was Kure Raian, the "Devil" of the Kure Clan.
Ren just sighed, holding the phone away from his ear. "So what exactly is it? You're interrupting my peace."
The person on the other end of the phone laughed twice more before slowly calming down. His voice dropped an octave, sounding surprisingly serious—or as serious as a psychopath could sound.
"Your Restaurant is open tomorrow night, right! The one in the gap?"
"Barring any accidents or you blowing it up, it will stay open~"
"We're coming tomorrow night! Be serious! The old man wants to see you. And Karura is annoying everyone about it."
"It's truly a rare friendship to make you talk like that~ acting as a messenger boy."
"Shut up! I just want to smash that face of yours that's only good for charming women! Prepare enough meat, or I'll eat the furniture!"
Click.
After speaking, he hung up the phone.
Ren stared at the disconnected screen. Then a smile appeared on his face as he said, "A tsundere man isn't cute at all. Especially a monster like Raian."
At this moment, upstairs.
Lucifer checked the time on her new phone.
11:59 PM.
Exactly at midnight, Lucifer opened the window of her room. The night air was cool. She stood by the sill, looking down at the alley below.
She brought her hand to her mouth and bit her thumb. Then, she lightly swiped her thumb across her index finger.
A single drop of fresh, glowing crimson blood fell directly downstairs, splashing onto the pavement in front of the shop entrance.
Sizzle.
The blood evaporated instantly, leaving a faint magical residue—a mark of territory.
The wound on her finger healed instantly.
After closing the window, Lucifer sat on the bed and revealed a mischievous, satisfied smile.
"Is this considered a transaction, Ren~?" she whispered to the empty room. "You feed me, I protect your territory. A fair trade."
Ren, sitting downstairs, only felt a strange sensation wash over the building, like a static charge. But he didn't think much of it, simply assuming he was grossed out by Raian's tsundere act earlier.
As soon as Ren sat down again, the atmosphere changed.
The air pressure in the room dropped. The mana density spiked.
He saw the Restaurant door light up with a soft, white glow.
Ren immediately stood up, smoothing his apron. Guests from the Grand Line.
The next moment, the Restaurant door opened.
Ren first heard a familiar, boisterous laugh.
"Dahahaha! We made it!"
Then he saw an acquaintance.
A tall man with red hair and a long black cape walked in, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yo! Boss! I'm here again! I promised I'd bring friends!"
Ren also smiled when he saw him. "Hmm. That 'again' is used very well, Mr. Shanks~ Welcome back."
Shanks stepped aside, gesturing to the man behind him.
"And this gentleman next to you..." Ren's eyes narrowed slightly, recognizing the aura of absolute sharpness.
A tall man with intense, hawk-like yellow eyes walked in. He wore a wide-brimmed hat with a white plume, a black coat, and a massive cross-shaped sword—Yoru—strapped to his back.
It was Dracule Mihawk, the Strongest Swordsman in the World.
Mihawk scanned the room, his eyes dissecting everything.
"Hawkeye," Shanks slapped his friend on the back. "This is the Restaurant I said could put your mind at ease. The booze here is legendary!"
Mihawk looked at Ren. He nodded slowly.
"That's right!" Shanks beamed. "Isn't it great! It's not a dingy tavern!"
"Nice environment," Mihawk said, his voice deep and calm. "Quiet."
Ren looked at the two Emperors of the sea (well, one Emperor and one Warlord) and smiled professionally.
"Find a seat. The big table is free. What would you like to eat this time? Sea King isn't on the menu, unfortunately."
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